Pediatric Thrombocytopenia

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Pathophysiology

Pediatric Thrombocytopenia is a condition in which you have a low blood platelet count. Platelets (thrombocytes) are colorless blood cells that help blood clot. Platelets stop bleeding by clumping and forming plugs in blood vessel injuries. Thrombocytopenia often occurs as a result of a separate disorder, such as leukemia or an immune system problem.

Disease statistics

A total of 374 patients were included, with a mean age of 36.1 ± 15.5 years, and 83.4% were male. Thrombocytopenia was present at the time of hospital admission in 200 cases (53.5%), and it developed during the hospital stay in 150 cases (40.3%). The patients with thrombocytopenia had higher frequencies of dehydration (53% vs. 35.3%, p=0.001), epistaxis (5.7% vs. 0.8%, p=0.033), hematemesis (13% vs. 4.6%, p=0.006), myalgia (91.5% vs. 84.5%, p=0.038), hematuria (54.8% vs. 37.6%, p=0.011), metabolic acidosis (18% vs. 9.2%, p=0.016) and hypoalbuminemia (17.8% vs. 7.5%, p=0.005).

Treatment

Specific treatments for thrombocytopenia will be determined by your child’s physicians based on the cause and severity of the disease, as well as your child’s tolerance for medications, procedures and therapies. Mild cases may not require treatment and may resolve on their own. Blood transfusions with platelets or red blood cells are sometimes needed.

Research

Thrombocytopenia is a condition in which there is a lower-than-normal number of platelets in the blood. It may result in easy bruising and excessive bleeding from wounds or bleeding in mucous membranes and other tissues.